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Coke brings back ‘Share a Coke’, Ikea asks students to bully a pot plant: International round-up

Coca-Cola revives its ‘Share a Coke’ campaign

Coca-Cola US has brought its ‘Share a Coke’ campaign back to life, and just in time for the summer.

The drinks giant first introduced the campaign in the US in 2014 when it produced a number of personalised bottles and urged consumers to post a photo using the hashtag #ShareaCoke.

As part of this year’s version of the campaign, the name labels on the Coke bottles are stickers meaning consumers can peel them off to reveal Coca-Cola’s ‘Sip & Scan’ codes, which offer the chance to win prizes ranging from a free Coke to amusement park passes and baseball tickets.

Coke’s brand manager Saxon Seay says: “That first year, it was all about discovery and introducing people to the idea that they could find their names – or the names of their friends or family members – on a Coke bottle. But over the years, it has become more about the experiences and moments shared over a Coke.”

Ikea Dubai asks schoolchildren to bully a pot plant

The effects of bullying are profound, so much so that even plants can feel the consequences, according to Ikea’s latest anti-bullying campaign.

In collaboration with Dubai agency Memac Ogilvy, the flatpack pioneer conducted an experiment titled ‘Bully a Plant’ at local school GEM Wellington Academy. As part of the experiment, conducted over a 30-day period, one plant was played recordings including messages of positive reinforcement and the second plant heard hurtful comments such as “You look rotten”. Both were reportedly fed and watered exactly the same.

At the conclusion of the study, Ikea presented images of each of the plants. The one which heard nice messages flourished while the plant being bullied looked lifeless.

However, many are skeptical about the extreme differences between the pair, with one YouTube commenter calling it a “hoax”.

Ikea argues that “both plants were treated strictly the same” and that the project “has helped children and their families understand the impact that words can have”.

Google ‘pauses’ abortion poll ads in Ireland

Google is banning all ads relating to the Republic of Ireland’s abortion referendum, which is set to take place on 25 May.

The move comes amid fears anti-choice groups from abroad have been trying to manipulate voters’ views with less than two weeks to go until the historic vote. It is understood Ireland’s electoral laws ban foreign organisations from funding campaign groups in the country.

According to Google, all ads relating to the vote will be blocked. Google shows ads on millions of websites, as well as its own properties including YouTube and search.

The Irish poll will ask citizens to vote on whether to appeal the Eighth Amendment to the Republic of Ireland’s constitution, which states “the right to life of the unborn”.

Google’s enforcement will kick in today (10 May) and continue until the referendum has taken place. Facebook has also banned abortion poll ads, but only from advertisers based outside Ireland.

A+E Networks to offer performance-based guarantees

US broadcaster A+E is going beyond providing the usual audience driven data and is instead promising advertisers it can deliver results.

Over the past 12 months, the company has been investing in an audience-based targeting platform called A+E Precision and A+W Performance. These platforms will identify proper placements across its portfolio before assessing a campaign’s effectiveness depending on the client’s preferred metrics.

The technology should offer “attribution” measures that monitor how ads drive consumer reactions in order to better audience targeting. It will also provide data that should allow marketers to place commercials in front of the consumers most likely to be receptive to the message.

The company will only offer a select group of outcome-based guarantees. EVP of ad sales, Peter Olsen, says: “The two specific business metrics we feel most comfortable with are website visits and foot traffic in retail locations. These are probably the easiest things for our partners to dissect and prove, and we feel confident we will be able to deliver on them.”

Vodafone to pay €18.4bn for Liberty Global cable networks

Vodafone has acquired US cable company Liberty Global’s cable networks, which span Germany and Eastern Europe in a €18.4bn (£16.1bn) deal that will see the telecommunications giant expand its mobile, TV and broadband services into Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic.

The move marks Vodafone’s biggest deal since its £112bn takeover of Mannesmann in 2000. The deal still has to be approved by regulators.

From Burger King’s Google stunt and Ikea’s response to Balenciaga’s ‘copycat’ bag to Wendy’s 2.5 billion earned media impressions, these are the campaigns that caused controversy, set out to make a statement or put humour centre stage.

Both the advertising and food and drink industries have hit out at a proposed pre-9pm watershed for high fat, salt and sugar advertising despite growing support for such a ban from MPs, charities and public figures such as Jamie Oliver.

Coming together for the first time last month, the School of Marketing’s ambassadors – known as the Founding 50 – outlined their initial plans to get young people fired up about pursuing a career in marketing.

From scaling Kilimanjaro to making a fashion statement in East London, the sportswear giant is moving into hiking with the hope of eliminating the stigma attached to the outdoor sport while appealing to a new generation of consumers.

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